It Takes Two to Tango = Effective Website Design

It Takes Two to Tango = Effective Website Design

It Takes Two to Tango = Effective Website Design

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Effective Website Design

Designing a good effective website takes a collaborative effort.  It is important to hire a good website developer that will design a site that looks modern, clean and is easy to navigate, but also has powerful SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and shows up well on mobile devices but also remember designing this website is a two-way street.

As a website designer we need help from the new owner of the website to supply much needed documents such as the text for each of the pages and photographs and videos. Without them the designer is stuck from moving forward. We need this information in a timely fashion.

Whatever the timeline is decided upon from the start needs to be followed because a web designer is setting aside a certain amount of time to complete the work by a prescribed date.  We also will turn away work if we do not think we can complete the work on your new site by the deadline.

Efficient Website Design

I also know sometimes that new clients bite off more than we can chew. You may not know all that building this website will in tale. You also my struggle on how to write out information in an appealing coherent way that prospective clients may find informative and want to hire you and your business.

Creative Website Design

It also may take longer to track down photographs or video’s that we have in our minds eye we want used. A learning curve will have to be considered for blogs in your new website.

You need to have a moment of clarity with your website designer on a realistic time frame to have this all accomplished by.

If you are struggling with certain aspects of this timeline, have a line of communication open with them be it email, phone or text messaging. Let us know what is happening and what hurdles you must scale.

As a web developer we are here to help. We know how daunting all this may seem.

Creative Website Design
Creative Website Designer

Creative Website Designer

Start out slow if this your first website mountain or even if you have done this before. Complete certain key pieces of the website first and then move on to the next part or section. Do not have so many pages half done.

Completing one part at a time will give you and the designer a sense of a completion and confident on moving on to the next part. Use a visual mind map so you have a visual sense of what is happening and what is connected and why.

This keeps the spaghetti monster from attacking our minds from the complexity of what we are dealing with.

If you have any questions or you felt you are ready to embark on this new online adventure, please contact me by email or phone with any questions. We are here to help your vision come to life. 

Effective Website Design. Efficient Website Design

Creative Website Design

Creative Website Designer

Phoenix Creative Website Designer

9 Signs it’s Time for a New Website

9 Signs it’s Time for a New Website

9 Signs it’s Time for a New Website

Your website is more than likely the first place of contact that prospective clients will have with you. It’s your store front. What kind of impression are you giving when they land there for the first time? What kind of message are you trying to convey?

At one time, it was a big deal just having a website but, those days are long gone. Does your website look out of date, with old features that were designed years ago? If you had a real business store front wouldn’t you redesign it and decorate it in a newer more current motif from time to time to attract new customers?

Yes, you have made smaller updates to the content and have even added new photo’s, but how do you know it’s not time for a complete overhaul to your website?

9 Signs it’s Time for a New Website

1.) Your Website Looks Outdated

If your website is 5 years old or more it’s probably showing its age. People notice. Fonts, backgrounds, images and content layout will tell people how old your website is. Modern technology is constantly changing and so are website layouts and designs. Take a look at what your competitors are doing. Take some time and see what new innovations they might be using to be relevant and modern looking. 

2.) It’s Hard to Edit and Update Your Website

If you are calling your website developer to make small changes on your website, then it is definitely time for a website redesign. New content management systems such as WordPress have changed a lot in the last couple of years. You want to be able to make some changes on your own and not have to use code or a website developer. That is all possible now if you have the right platform and theme installed on the website.

3.) Is Your Website Hard to Navigate?

Your website should be easily navigable for your customers. They should be able to quickly and easily find what they came to your website for. Is your website having high a bounce rate? If it is, then it could be because your customers are having a hard time navigating the site.

Time for a New Website?

4.)  Is Your Website Mobile Responsive?

Mobile responsive means your website is mobile friendly. How does the website look on mobile devices such as cell phones and iPads? Over 50% of all online browsing is currently being done on these small devices and the percentage is only going to get larger with more people using them in the coming years. You want your website to look good small.

Time for a New Website?

5.) SSL Certificate is Essential

This has become a big deal with Google now. If your website only shows http// then you do not have an SSL certificate. If it does, it will have a “S” at the end after the “P” as in https//. The “S” stands for security and it means your website is secure.

No SSL certificate and Google will now give a warning for people not to enter your website or tell them that they enter at their own risk. You will also see a green lock and the word “Secure” at the front of the browser address just before the https//. You defiantly want to go green. To learn more about why SSL certificates are essential. 

Why I Need a New Website

Website Redesign

6.) Your Embarrassed to Give Out Your Website Address

This is a big sign you need a new website. That may seem funny at first but, it is really not. You want to be proud of who are and what you do, so what better way than to have a great looking and functional website to show this.

7.) Your Website Is Not Delivering

Is your website delivering leads and traffic like it used to? A new website will definitely get you back in the game. How do you know for sure it’s not delivering? The only way to know for sure is to have some kind of tracking device. We recommend Google Analytics to give you hard data on what is really going on with your website. This will give you some idea on what needs to be changed and where your ongoing upgrades need to be made.

8.) My Website Loads Slow

One sure way that will turn away potential customers is to have a slow loading website. People have no patience anymore and will not hang around for a website to load slowly. A slow loading website gives out the signal that you are no longer relevant and there is something wrong with your business. Optimize everything on your website especially the photographs.

Website Redesign

Why I Need a New Website

9.) Search Engine Rankings

Are your search engine rankings low? Search engine algorithms have changed a lot over the last few years. Search engine optimization (SEO) and focus keywords are still BIG but high-quality content has caught up as far as Google is concerned. This is also why having a blog on your website is so essential. It brings in fresh new quality content to your website on a regular basis. We use a SEO plugin called Yoast on all our wordpress websites that we design. They have a lot great information about SEO and how it helps to drive traffic to your website.

In Conclusion

Give your website a long hard look and run by some of the questions I have brought up and see if you need to make some changes to your digital store front. You are good at what you do so show it by putting your best visual foot forward. You will be glad you did.

If you would like to know more about our Website Design or Graphic Arts business, please give us a call our email us. 

We would love to help grow your business through digital and print media.

We have written other articles…

…that you might be interested in when it comes to promoting your business in the digital age. Here are three: 1.)  5 Reasons Why Email Lists Are Important 2.) How to Optimize Images for Faster Website Speed 3.) 8 Benefits of Blogging From Your Business Website. We have written many more so check out our blog archive.

9 Signs it’s Time for a New Website

Time for a New Website?

Why I Need a New Website

Website Redesign WordPress. My Old Website Needs Help

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